Life-preserver



LIFE PRESERVER.

Patented Aug. 1, 1882.

i wwzk M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARDMAYNARD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LlFE-PRESERVER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 261,940, dated August 1, 1882. Application filed September 2, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, EDWARD MAYNARD, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Life- Preservers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a jacket adapted to be worn around the body.

Before my invention a jacket or vest had been made which was adapted to surround the body and act as a life-preserver, and such jacket had been made with pockets running vertically and having between the outer and inner fabrics ground cork or chips stuffed into such pockets. The same, however, is not reliable, and the cork chips and ground cork become saturated with water and make the garment very heavy, especially when the person wears such life-preserver on a vessel or a raft and is exposed to the spray.

Upon vessels persons are often exposed to danger, and a life-preserver is very important, especially to timid people, and many persons hesitate about wearing a life-preserver, because they are afraid of ridicule, and when an emergency arises they are unprepared.

My invention has for its object the construction of a garment that can be worn as a vest by a man or a sacque or waist by a woman, and will not have the appearance of a life-prescrver, but will possess all its qualities, so that this garment can be worn by the timid to give them confidence and presence of mind and they be better adapted to aid in saving the lives of others in cases of an emergency, and the life-preserver will not interfere with their attention to the work or duties they may have to perform.

1n the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the life-preserving garment, and Fig. 2 is a separate view of the graded corks that are introduced into the pockets.

The garment is made of muslin or cloth of sufficient strength, and for a. lady it may be covered with velvet, plush, silk, or other or namental material to form a waist, basque, or sacque, and it should be trimmed at top and bottom with suitable ornamental ruffling, as at a b, andthe arm*holes or short sleeves are to be similarly ornamented, as at c. For mens wear this jacket or vest should have an extein a proper shape.

bottle-corkssuch corks beingof largest diameter at the breasts and back, where they afford the greatest floating power and are the least noticeable, and such ranges of corks taper down smaller toward the bottom of the garment and toward the shoulders. so as not to make the garment clumsy on the shoulders and not to apply floating power at the lower part of the skirt that could act to turn the person head-downwardly in the water. The small lines of corks around the lower part of the vest or waist increase the efficiency of the life-preserver and serve to keep the garment In Fig. 2 the character of these vertical lines of round graded corks will be apparent, the corks at 6 being largest, and from these the corks taper to f, where they are the smallest for the bottom part of the garment.

' It is to be understood that the two fabrics 0 and s, that form the foundations oriouter and inner materials, are stitched together to produce tapering pockets, into which the corks are introduced and held by sewing up the openings at which the corks are introduced, and

these corks give to the garment the appearance of being heavily ribbed.

The pocket that comes in the middle of the back should only have a line of small corks, so that the garment will not project at the backbone, and the folding up of the garment will also be facilitated. The ribs in-thegores and diagonal portions of the garment should be of small corks.

This garment is soft and pliable when it is notwet; but when the corks float closely together in the respective pockets, the columns or lines of graded corks become sufficiently stifl' to render the life-preserver slightly rigid and adapt it to sustainin gapersonin the water.

I am aware that life-preservers have been made of jackets or sacques having ranges of vertical pockets between the two fabrics, and that corks have been inserted into these pockets. Such corks, however, have all been of the same diameter, or nearly so, and hence the lower part of the preserver has had too great floating power. By using corks that are smaller for the lower parts of the jacket and corks of larger diameter around the breast and back, the floating power is at the proper place; but the lower part of the preserver is stiffened by the smaller corks, which also promote the buoyancy of the preserver.

I claim as my invention 9 In combination with a life-preserving waist or sacque having vertical ranges of pockets, corks of large size inserted in such pockets at the breast and back portions and of smaller size in the lower portions, whereby the largest displacement and floating power are at the r 5 breast and back portions, substantially as and for the purposes described.

Signed by me this 30th day of August A. D.

E. MAYNARD.

Witnesses:

HAROLD SERRELL', OHAs. H. SMITH. 

